The Morale Mechanic » Press

Rotarian Article

gjerome — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:57:04 +0000

I was featured in an issue of The Rotarian magazine, the magazine for the service group Rotary International.

The article is full of valuable thoughts on workplace humor and quotes my friend and client Todd Linden, CEO of Grinnell Regional Medical Center. The article begins by stressing that humor heals. I get quoted several times including:

“Don’t worry that you will sacrifice your employees’ respect(by using humor). In fact, just the opposite will happen. You will come across as wiser and more approachable.”

This is a very well researched article which includes quotes from other humor in the workplace heavy hitters such as Joel Goodman of the Humor Project and Loretta LaRoche of the Humor Potential, a consulting company in Massachusetts.

Read the entire article HERE.

Read more articles written about and by Gavin Jerome HERE.

Cancer Club Article

gjerome — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:37:02 +0000

A very good friend and speaking colleague of mine, Christine Clifford started something wonderful for people struggling with cancer. The Minneapolis based, The Cancer Club helps families cope with this horrible disease with grace and humor.

Which is how Christine Clifford, CSP approaches everything in her life. A cancer survivor herself, she penned several books and created a multitude of products to help others deal. These products include The Cancer Club newsletter, a fantastic publication which she graciously allowed me to submit an article.

My perspective is different. I have devoted some time to an organization named The Heart Connection, a camp devoted to kids suffering from various forms of this dreaded disease. What I submited is a short tale of an experience I had at that camp and how humor and these kids touched my life.

Read the entire article HERE.

Visit Christine Clifford, CSP at her website, The Cancer Club HERE.

And as she reminds us…”Don’t forget to laugh!”

Des Moines Register Article

gjerome — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:30:46 +0000

They say an expert is never appreciated in his/her home town. That is why it was nice to get a little buzz from my hometown newspaper, The Des Moines Register.

Writer Thomas Fogarty covered my presentation at what was then called the University Park Holiday Inn and did a nice writeup. In the piece he quotes:

“Self depricating humor is generally the safest and most effective type for the workplace. Laugh at what you do, and not who you are.”

This is a fun article and highlights many of the key points during my workshops.

Read the entire article HERE.

Read more articles written about and by Gavin Jerome HERE.

Gama International Journal

gjerome — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:58:44 +0000

One of the highlights of my speaking experience was the opportunity to write a piece for one of the most respected Insurance journals in the business. It is incredibly hard to be even considered for this and the process for getting the article in the journal is a long one that usually requires many rewrites.

I only had to make some minor revisions. This article is a comprehensive piece on humor in the workplace as it relates not only to the insurance industry, but to all business professionals as well.

In fact, at the very beginning of the article I make a bold assertion. I write:

“The most important business survival skill you can posses is a sense of humor. Humor can create rapport, reduce tension, increase cooperation and facilitate communication.”

My article talks about many skills and techniques you can use to impiment humor effectively in a workplace setting.

Read the entire article HERE.

Read more written by and about Gavin Jerome HERE.

Dallas Morning News Article

gjerome — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:51:24 +0000

I was hired by The Principal Financial Group to do a series of 4 programs for the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

The final program was a half day program designed to teach the ins and out of humor in the workplace. The previous 3 programs all were building toward this day as the attendees were numorous and very energized.

In the audience was a columnist from the Dallas Morning News, Diana Kunde and she penned this piece that was featured on the front page of the News. In the story she mentioned not only that I sweat a lot during a presentation, but that I indeed gave practical how to’s on how to add humor to your professional toolbox.

The crowd was filled with people from all walks of life. Mark Walker, a senior design engineer with Titus was in attendance. He commented:

“I would have been skeptical about how you would teach the use of humor. But I was pretty pleased with the number of practical how to’s. I have a pretty high standard for that, coming from an engineering background.”

In the artcile where I was featured, Diana Kunde also quoted Dr. Joel Goodman from the Humor Project, Dr. Terry Deal from Vanderbilt University and Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines. Some pretty nice company to be in. So what if I had to perspire a little to get there.

Read the entire article HERE.

Read more articles written about and by Gavin Jerome HERE.

Chicago Tribune Article

gjerome — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:52:55 +0000

I was lucky enough to have been featured in an article about humor in the workplace in the Chicago Tribune.

The author was Elaine Glusac and her focus was on humor being the next corporate craze. She notes that many business professional are improving their humor skills to get ahead in the workplace. A friend and collegue Susan Wilson, CSP said in the article:

“Humor is a great way to connect with people.”

I share a few tips such as when the best time to use humor is and the article closes with me saying:

“You can teach humor. It is like carpentry. I give them the tools, they build the house.”

Read the entire article HERE.

View more articles about and written by Gavin Jerome in our library section HERE.